Satellite Photographs Indicate Iran's Naval Forces and Nuclear Facilities Targeted by Joint US and Israeli Attacks.
A series of American and Israeli attacks has allegedly destroyed or damaged at least eleven warships belonging to Iran since the weekend, new orbital imagery show, with rocket sites and nuclear sites also being targeted.
Images of the southerly Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas installation, which is located on the strategic Hormuz Strait and houses the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, depict plumes of smoke rising from several ships on Monday and Tuesday.
Naval Fleet Incurred Substantial Losses
Included in the ships sunk was the Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had served as a drone carrier. Orbital photos displayed dark plumes pouring from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Intelligence reports suggest that no fewer than five ships at the port were "damaged or eliminated". Pictures of the southern end of the harbor show plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while two other ships seem to be impacted, with one visibly ablaze.
At the Konarak base, photos display numerous damaged ships, with expert review pointing to impacts on a half-dozen warships. Pictures from the start of the week also demonstrate that several structures at the installation have been demolished.
"For a long time the Tehran government has disrupted global maritime traffic," the head of US Central Command stated. "Now, there is no vessel from Iran operational in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will continue."
A number of ships allegedly sunk may have been hidden in aerial photos by cloud or smoke, or targeted offshore, and have not been independently verified. Separate reports suggested that an Iranian vessel was sinking near Sri Lanka's territorial waters, prompting a rescue operation.
Rocket Installations and Atomic Locations Targeted
Eliminating Iran's rocket sites and the stopping enrichment activities were declared as additional goals of the military strikes. Satellite images also revealed impacts against the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were hit.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone UAV facility to the west of Kermanshah, widespread damage was seen to storage buildings, bunkers and unmanned aircraft systems.
Damage was also seen at a radar installation at the Zahedan military airport in eastern parts of the country, near the border with neighboring nations.
Perhaps most notably, the new round of attacks have apparently targeted installations at Natanz – considered at the heart of the country's nuclear programme. The UN's atomic energy body commented that the affected structures were used for entry to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was likely.
Wider Fallout and Assessment
Defense experts suggested that the strikes appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iranian navy's ability to sustain traditional warfare using its biggest warships. However, it was stressed that Tehran retains the option to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "shadow fleet" of oil ships.
The total scope of the destruction caused to Iranian military facilities remains unclear, with attacks reportedly continuing. Photos also indicates considerable destruction to the main offices of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.
Numerous of public facilities also appear to have been hit in the capital and across the country since the fighting started. Reports of deaths from local officials suggest that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the strikes.
With the conflict ongoing, monitoring of satellite imagery will continue to track the unfolding scope of damage.